DERBY: Pakistan women’s team lost to England cricket team in the ODI series opener in Derby following the visitors failed to chase a 244-run target.
Pakistan bowlers managed to restrict the hosts to 243/9 following opting to bowl first as captain Nida Dar’s three wickets led the charge.
In pursuit of 244 runs to win, Pakistani side concluded their innings at 206 for nine, with Sophie Ecclestone (3/26) and Charlie Dean (2/39) tilting the game in hosts’ favour.
Ecclestone also edged closer to claiming the record for the fastest to reach three figures in women’s ODI cricket, but she requires to accomplish this feat in the 2nd game of the series on Sunday to surpass Australia’s Cathryn Fitzpatrick.
Muneeba Ali, Sadaf Shamas, and captain Nida Dar laid decent foundations as the visitors aimed for their first-ever ODI win over England in their 13th attempt.
Pakistan also benefited from some erratic England bowling, with an astonishing 31 wides contributing to a record total of 40 extras, alongside two rare missed catches behind the stumps by Amy Jones.
However, Lauren Bell managed to extract movement from the pitch to make breakthroughs at the start of the innings, while Ecclestone and Dean tightened the screws before Kate Cross took a couple of late wickets.
Invited to bat, England scored 243 runs for nine from their 50 overs. Maia Bouchier has scored 17 before being dismissed by Nashra Sandhu, and Tammy Beaumont was out for 33 as Umm-e-Hani successfully appealed for lbw.
Skipper Heather Knight survived two dropped catches by Hani, on zero and eighteen, but was out for 29 as wicket-keeper Najiha Alvi caught her attempt to cut off Aliya.
